SURJ DC Queer Working Group Kickoff

Do you identify as LGBTQIA+? Are you a White person interested in resisting racism and other forms of oppression? Join us for the kickoff meeting of SURJ-DC’s new Queer Working Group! Please RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelJ7lR8OnRLROcIb0JQs_Sq3sh1aIHO1YxV9mnthLmxw0DKA/viewform What is SURJ-DC? SURJ-DC is a chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), a national network of groups and individuals organizing White people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves White people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. We work to connect people across the country while supporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts. SURJ provides a space to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change. Why a Queer Working Group? We know that the LGBTQIA+ movement has a history of prioritizing the needs of white people, and further, that our community has failed to adequately address racism, misogyny, classism, ableism, cissexism, ageism, and more from within our own ranks. We also know that the queer community in DC includes a wealth of resources, energy, organizing experience, and leadership. What can we do? Given this, the SURJ-DC Queer Working Group seeks to create a community for queer white folks committed to addressing racism within LGBTQIA+ spaces and organizing for racial justice. There is a lot to be done to build a just world, free from oppression, and we believe that queer folks in SURJ can help make that world a reality. What’s next? Join us on April 9 to kick off our efforts and to start getting to know each other! We will talk about SURJ as an organization, set community norms and values, and begin exploring opportunities for our political education and action work. For political education, our main aim will be to build political analysis among queer white folks both in and outside of SURJ. For action, our main aim is to help queer white people plug into multi-racial efforts to organize for racial justice. Help us brainstorm what the queer working group should ultimately look like and get plugged in to next steps and opportunities! We will meet from 3:00 - 5:00, and have a social hour afterwards. **ACCESSIBILITY** Location: The Washington Ethical Society (WES) is located at 16th street and Kalmia road, near the Silver Spring Metro Station (approximately 1 mile). It is most easily accessible by the 16th street buses, car, or the Silver Spring Metro. If you need a ride from the Silver Spring Metro or the Columbia Heights Metro please let us know on the RSVP form and we will do our best to coordinate carpools/shuttles. Fragrance-free: Please refrain from wearing perfume, cologne or clothes freshly laundered in synthetic fragrances. WES is wheelchair accessible and has an elevator. There is a curb in the front entrance, with parking on 16th St. directly in front of the building. In the back of the building (accessed by an alley on Kalmia or Jonquil), there is no curb. There are no reserved parking spaces and someone will need to open the back door. Call 301-807-4305 when you need to get in and we will open the back door for you. Bathrooms: Gender-neutral, single-stall bathroom, which is not wheelchair accessible. Multi-stall gendered bathrooms, with wheelchair accessible stall in each. ASL interpretation: Please let us know if it is a specific need on the RSVP form and we will do our best to accommodate. Childcare: Please let us know if this is a need on the RSVP form and we will do our best to accommodate.